The Lisa
McPherson Trust has been fighting against Scientology for years. The
Trust takes the name after a woman who died in Clearwater, Florida
in 1995.

Her death was suspect.
The medical report stated that Lisa (in Scientology for 18 years) had
been restrained, had bruises all over her body and hadn't eaten, drunk
and slept for days. The McPherson case became the symbol of Scientology's
cruelty in the world.

Ron Hubbard and his
followers have had legal troubles in several countries throughout the
world. Tax fraud, manipulation, violation of civil rights are the more
frequent charges against them. Among the most famous cases, the decision
against Hubbard's wife, Mary Sue, and other eight members of the Guardian
Office (the inner secret service) for conspiracy against US Government
and obstruction to justice, in 1979.

In 1984, in his decision
confirmed in appeal of 1991, Judge Paul Breckenridge stated that

"the organization
is clearly schizophrenic and paranoid, and this weird combination
seems to be a reflection of his founder, LRH. Exhibits portray a man
who was virtually a pathological liar about his background, history
and achievements."

Jesus Magazine
interviewed a priest who runs a call center for victims of cults.

Father Cadei says
that disconnection is confirmed by inner writings. They also interviewed
Dino Michieletto, an "historical enemy" who lost his wife and
3 children in Scientology. He says he has had no contact with his (adult)
children since 1986.

In 1991 Michieletto
got a historical decision in his pre-divorce case (separation). The judge
said that

"The material
and spiritual community between the parties ceased; on one hand this
was due to the wife's behaviour. The wife is integrated into the Dianetic
association and puts its activities over any other interest, also
the family interests (as it is intended by the Scientology "scheme").
On the other hand is the the husband's reaction: originally he was
also part of the organization and then, realizing the usefulness of
such a behaviour for the reconstruction of the family unity, he got
out "opposing", also at an economical level, his spouse
and his children.

"The separation
must be intended without fault as the behaviour of the parties seems to
be on one hand the effect of the circumvention operated by the "staff"
of Scientology, and on the other hand the reaction due to the (husband's)
awareness of a danger, also at a psychological level, the wife was running
into by participating in the Dianetics organization".

The wife tried to
assign fault to the husband, saying he was beating her etc. One of their
adult daughters (a Scientologist) confirmed this thesis, but the judge
didn't believe it.